C Carl

Well, they say those thin rubber tire tubes that the commonist Chine make are leak prone. May be endemic to all thin rubber rubber products they make. I go to great lengths to avoid anything made in China. I’ll shop thrift shops to look for second hand whatever which is not made by them commies. But there is a whole bunch of ‘em makin’ a bunch of stuff. Leaky thin rubber products. Might have somethin’ to do with a whole bunch of ‘em................. 🤭😏 - C Carl P.S. Astonishingly , there are some very good tires made there. 🤔

Hi Ken ! P.M. sent regarding a nearby wheelwright to source the right wheels for your car. - Carl

A White Christmas began to slowly develop just past noon here. Enough accumulated to get a picture by sunset. Would have been just another insignificant image if not for the reflection of the lights on the tree. Christmas Eve was fun also. Sandy and I foolishly figured we might be able to go feed the cats a Christmas treat. After all, it had not snowed for a while. So up we went in my newest “antique” car. The ‘95. Bare dry road until we climbed into the mouth of the canyon just before the hairpin. In the pines. In the pines where the sun never shines. Backing down in super low traction with very little if any control, there was no way to avoid this. Whatever shoulder there was at this point, dropped off just a bit further down the steep hill. By and by several 4-WD vehicles came down. Enough people to push sideways while I applied e-brake while breaking traction in drive, and we were back on track. Maybe only 100’ or so down to clear pavement. Certainly no one should feel bad about or make apologies for the cars they do or do not have. Take a lesson from the late, sadly unfortunate, the great , Curtis Mayfield : “Diamond in the Back” . Cadillac, or no car at all, “You can still stand tall”. So Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all my friends here. And be careful when entering big cat territory. - Carl

Looks pretty good for the Winter in your mild climate. No intense sun this time of year. An occasional fresh water rinse can’t hurt much without any biodegradable vulnerability. Merry Christmas to them and you ! - Carl

Yup ! - CC

Well, O.K. I confess I never attempted it at that speed. Pretty sure I never even drove that fast in first. Next test : How many could get an XK into first without a crunch at a standstill without first engaging a synchronized gear to stop the countershaft ? Bought an early ‘52 race prepared MC roadster for $400 in 1965. Transplanted a 3.54 3rd member from my 140 parts car to replace the 3.89 Thornton Powerlock. The P-lock had contributed to spin out spectacles back in its SCCA Class-C days. Out at the Shelton track on the old airport, and later at Pacific Raceways. Other than the transplant, the only other times it was off the road was rebuilding the front calipers on the 150 discs , and the valve adjustment/timing chain and tensioner replacement. Replaced the 1 3/4” SUs with 2”, installed on a bored-out 140 intake manifold at the same time. Took the cam covers along with the intake manifold when I went to the machine shop to be buffed to a beautiful shine. It was very reliable, and fun and straightforward to work on for a pretty inexperienced kid. The manual was great, and helped me to speak better English. Drove it daily to work and for fun through my early ‘20s. Seattle rain, snow, could not raise the top for the rollbar. Girlfriend and I just dressed for the weather. I have vague recollections of being young and strong, healthy and pain free.................... - Carl

This is the solution. And buy whatever is currently the state-of-the-art gas shocks . For very light loads, run the bags at 6-7 psi. Rear tire pressure 23 or so. Make sure to plumb the bags separately so air doesn’t transfer low side to high when cornering. Probably a good idea to put the same type gas shocks up front too. Hopefully the tires are max load bearing @ 44psi. You should then run front pressure in the high 30s, unless you spend time driving on very poorly maintained roads. There is more you can do to enhance handling, e.g. replace the anti-sway bar bushings with urethane, and put modern high pressure directional tires , (expensive), up front, but I don’t think that is what you are asking. - Carl

Same problem here for the last 10 hours or so. - Carl

Well, yes, but with Hershey being 10 months, (hopefully not 22 months) , out, this may not be an option. Brings up another factor : where are you and the car presently located ? Always so difficult to deal with parent’s possessions. Perhaps there is a friend of your father who can help, maybe even get the car running. Could be something very simple. Also, might be one of our helpful sympathetic members living nearby. We here are friends. Having lost both of my parents, from experience, please allow me to offer what may give you some comfort: Your father, peace be upon his soul, was very fortunate to have had you as child and friend. - Carl

The above 1934 Cadillac is on the larger chassis shared by the most expensive series V8, along with the 12s and 16s. The plow is on the smaller ‘34 or ‘35 V8 chassis, and has had an engine transplant into a modified engine compartment with a distinctly non-stock firewall. - Carl P.S. I do see what sagefinds points out. Does look very huffer. Well, I would like to know more about this rig, but I looked at the ad which had no more pics or info.

Mom turned 21 that day of infamy, so today would have been her 100th birthday. Enlisted in the Navy, she served as a warrant officer packing a .45. But the women I really admire most were at the front, perhaps serving in field hospitals, lives on the line, heroically bidding, some losing their lives so others could live. Different times, different country. Hmmmmm............. Hmmmmmmmmmff ? Maybe I WILL don a mask after all. Hmmmmm.........Maybe being asked to bear masks is not too onerous a sacrifice against being asked to bear arms so others may live. Hmmmmmmm......... Yeah, I think, I think I just might have a box of N95s out in the shop. I’ll look. Yeah....... I think I might just go along with the program when I look at it in that light. No hero, concerned fellow citizen, just plain - Carl, today.

The key to this is to engineer more efficient recycling into many manufactured products. Some automobile companies are working towards that goal. - Carl

And what is the 8 year old daily driver, please ? Great data, by the way, with test parameters specified ! - Carl

Uh, do WHAT now, zepher?........................... Cadillac Carl standing here to testify.................. Have you never driven an early 21st Century Northstar Cadillac ? You know , the ones with Stabilitrak ll ? I mean put some REAL miles on it ? 15 - 16 consecutive hours of the most comfortable saddle time a couple of days in a row ? Climatically controlled as per your preference, with Bosified tunes playing as you like ‘em ? Maybe getting and holding the cruise speed up in excess of 20 mph above the speed limit for extended periods ? Maybe 120 for a while where rare conditions allow it ? (Sure, you could, and I have exceeded even that - those luxury FWD Cads are comfortable and stable there). By the time that long leg of the journey is done, you arrive well-preserved, pampered in the gentle luxury those big V8 cars provide. And they look pretty good , too. Honest , no gimmick styling inside and out. Or to put things another way : Isn’t this what a Cord or Ruxton would have been if it could have survived and evolved another six or seven decades ? For the moment, please allow me to post this now. It is about my bed time, and I have been picking away at this from time to time this P.M. We yet have to mention the Northstar engine problem, and a couple 4T80E issues. These pushed me out of the frying pan of Cadillac luxury, and into the fire of Mercedes-Benz. TBC, - CC P.S. My Northstar, a 2002 STS would make a believer out of anyone with a foot or two. Again, I ask during intermission : Zepher, have you ever driven one of “them thangs” ?

Very good points which speak to the issue at hand. We are trying to remove the coffee mess in situ , and dispose of it , leaving as little residue behind , with no collateral damage. Agree heartily with using isopropyl rather than other alcohols. Agree it is less likely to “pull color”, etc. I have experimented with a number of different alcohols and other solvents for cleaning optics. Used reagent grade/absolute sourced from a chemical supply company. Certainly did notice that the isopropyl would not dissolve some contaminants which were soluble in other alcohols, etc. Isopropyl still has a great affinity for water, though, and that is the intended purpose for the final flush with alcohol. DO use at least industrial grade isopropyl . NOT the 91% stuff from your handy grocery or pharmacy. You do not have to pay the freight for reagent anhydrous isopropyl, but you want it very free from imbedded/dissolved water. The purpose for the alcohol flush and extraction , is to remove the water and it’s dissolved and suspended contents, leaving a clean, dry switch behind. There is no finer solvent than hot water for the job at hand. But you really have to consider potential collateral damage. That is why I suggest vacuum extraction, rather than risking a further invasion to areas behind the current “ battle lines”. Whereas gradual drying might be an acceptable option in the case of a dismantled instrument panel, that luxury should be avoided in the best case scenario here. We want to take the easiest way out as possible. That is why I think a final alcohol wash with strong aspiration would work well. Anyone remember when the last Boeing 307 crashed short in salt water about 20 years ago ? I was in Seattle at that time. Actually had seen it flying over at an earlier point. Not far from home , Sandy and I went to see the poor thing, tail up and dry, in its temporary bath. Never to be flown again, it was taken out for yet another restoration. First washed with unlimited quantities of fresh water to dissolve the salt, next flushed with alcohol to remove the water. This is S.O.P. for some marine salvage operations. I think this is all I can add, but in any case, I absolutely must go out right now and finish hanging my Christmas lights. - Carl

AGAIN : VACUUM ALL SPENT/SATURATED SOLUTIONS QUICKLY. ........... HEAR ? !!!!! - CC

Whoa ! Hold on a minute there Mark. Yes, first , second , and third + wash must be SMALL amounts of hot water. But DONT blow the crap farther down into the guts of your instrument panel. IMMEDIATELY suck back out using a powerful vacuum with the most concentrating small aperture fitting. Maybe even sealed with a wrap of duct tape at the interface. Perhaps even a continuous feed/exhaust if you can rig it , kind of like what the dentist hooks up. Hopefully the coffee was black, as sugar and creamers will compound your woes. Have heard of $ 4 didgit imperative necessities imposed on Mercedes owners due to cokecola thirsty consoles. Water wash the first few times, if you make a mistake and have to flush excess water, use absolute ethyl alcohol available at your friendly chemical supply house. You MUST use polar proper compatible solvents. Water and alcohol. Period. Any chemists out there to second source my recommendations? - Carl

i am having trouble composing my response, so have had to split posting between the above, and my continuation here. First, congrats on an extremely lovable “A”. Looks period perfect. Sure we would love to see pictures inside this treasure. I drove my first “old car”, a Model A, 60 years ago. There have been 2 of them I would have bought for sale on the forum here, but too late in life for me. From what you have written regarding spark timing, perhaps your static timing is too advanced. Yes, static timing may , and should be advanced somewhat against modern 87 octane gasoline compared to around 50 octane 90 years ago. I suggest verifying timing, and adjust to a happy medium between very gracious running at full advance , and enough retard at the other end of the range for safe , easy starting. I expect the Model A community will have this down to the last recommended degree. Perhaps a well engineered re-curved distributor solution. ALWAYS use FULL retard when starting, whether by starter or crank. Many happy , safe , reasonably trouble free miles ahead of you, Eric. Please don’t forget to post more pics when you can. I love your black walled Tudor !! - Carl

You are too modest, padgett !! Thanks for all your posts, sometimes a bit cryptic, sometimes gut busting hilarious. Please keep it up ! - Carl

Well, I hope and believe I will be around here long enough to see you three guys turn 10,000. I ain’t gonna get there, congrats, albeit somewhat prematurely. And , hey padjett: early salutations and recognition for 22 thou’ ! Certainly everything right about recognizing dedicated contributions to this wonderful universe of AACA. - Carl

Padgett, how much additional oil does the cooler take ? Thanks, - CC

Number of posts is extremely important. - CC

Again, plugging variables of load and temperature into the equation to determine run time, as load increases, run time decreases. As temperature decreases, run time increases. “Indefinitely” is a constant. “Speed” equals load. For any given load , there is a heat transfer rate which could dissipate all the heat generated at a given load. To illustrate by exaggerating to an extreme example, let’s drop ambient temperature of gaseous atmosphere to .001 degree above atmospheric liquefaction at sea level. Fire it up ! You could transfer a massive amount of heat from the combustion chamber/pistons, etc. into an engine block at cryo-temp, being cooled by a cryo-temp ambient atmosphere. Again, run time depends upon heat rejection rate of the engine running at test conditions. Heat rejection rate in our experiment here , depends upon temperature differential between engine combustion chamber and the rest of the engine block and head(s). Temperature of engine block and head(s) depends on ambient conditions, the overwhelmingly most significant condition being ambient temperature. See what I am getting at ? - Carl

As I said above : That’s my story, and I’m sticking’ to it ! Equilibrium , theoretically could be achieved at any load. Continued operation would depend on heat transfer rate. Heat transfer rate depends on ambient conditions, temperature in the real world being the most relevant . Atmospheric pressure, wind speed , etc have some effect, but temperature is dominant in our environment here on planet Earth. Yes, you might encounter 200 mph relative wind somewhere, but let’s leave that variable out of the equation.You’ll run longer at Antarctic base “Alpha” in Southern Hemisphere Winter, at say -79 where heat transfer would be more efficient than same rig running at same load out of Josh’ Tree , California during Norther Hemisphere Summer at +129. See what I am getting at ? - CC